Matt Birney

Chimeric Therapeutics has cut out significant global supply chain problems facing the cell therapy industry by developing its own viral vector system to deliver its patented treatment for killing brain tumours. Viral vectors are tools commonly used by molecular biologists to deliver genetic material into cells.

ASX-listed Radiopharm Theranostics is moving quickly to add another cancer-fighting weapon to its diagnostic armoury after penning a sub-licensing agreement for a promising radiopharmaceutical agent with a US company. The Melbourne-based biotech company believes the agent can target several tumour types, including gynaecological cancers however the company is focusing first on its possibilities for detecting and treatment of aggressive brain tumours.

Australian reproductive biotechnology company Memphasys is taking advantage of the worldwide easing of travel rules to turbocharge its trademarked Felix System into global in-vitro fertilisation markets. Memphasys has announced a targeted sales push, with the first pitch aimed at India, where Felix late last year scored its breakthrough commercial sales deal.

Kalgoorlie Gold is looking to plumb the depths at its La Mascotte discovery in WA’s Goldfields region after extending the strike length of the prospect from about 250m to 700m after recent drilling. It also plans to test outlying gold targets recently found by the company’s prospecting partners just west of its current focus area.

ASX-listed explorer Legend Mining has completed two holes from its diamond drilling program at its Mawson nickel, copper and cobalt discovery in the Fraser Range of Western Australia. The exploration intersected a largely prospective intrusive package below previous levels, confirming the Mawson mineralised intrusions extend at depth as predicted. Air core drilling and geophysical surveys have also been completed.

Mixed metals explorer Oar Resources has intersected high-grade gold and silver at its wholly owned Douglas Canyon project in Southern Nevada, USA after completing a maiden drilling campaign at the operation. The company says the probe was aimed at testing the ground’s precious metal potential by evaluating depth extensions of outcropping mineralisation.

Allup Silica is seeking to prove up another silica prospect at its Pink Bark project, 110km from Esperance in WA. Preliminary surface sampling has returned silicon dioxide grades up to 98.82 per cent, with iron oxide levels ranging from 0.08 to 0.95 per cent. Further tests are underway to determine the potential for the sands to clean up into a suitable silica sand product.

Coda Minerals has identified multiple targets including outstanding anomalies from induced polarisation surveys at its Cameron River copper-gold project in north Queensland, with drilling set for August. The drilling program will target coincident geophysical and geochemical targets including a shallow chargeability anomaly at the site’s Rebound prospect.

ASX-listed American West Metals shares surged more than 70 per cent in intraday trading at the highest volume this year on the back of the company’s best assay results at its West Desert project in Utah, USA. Assay analysis of the 549.83m hole showed more than 105m of high-grade zinc and copper intersected within four major intervals, in addition to high grades of indium and silver.